Manchester United vs Liverpool. 38 league titles between them. In the past 40 years both clubs have built empires and ruled the top division of England. Peter Drury (a colour commentator) likes to call it the English Classico. In recent times though, Liverpool haven’t won the league in 25 years. United? Only 2. Even that seems like a lifetime ago, since Sir Alex Ferguson retired United haven’t looked like competing. Let’s rewind two years ago to actually comprehend what happened on Saturday evening. Liverpool rolled in Manchester looking like title favourites. Playing a beautiful brand of football. They had the best player in the league and completely tore apart a hapless United side. If not for some David de Gea heroics, the score could have easily been more embarrassing. Brendan Rodgers looked like a mastermind, and David Moyes looked like a man who just got shot. Liverpool did the double over United that year and eventually finished 2nd after a capitulation at Crystal Palace. That scenario completely changed the following season, Liverpool lost their best player and had their other striker unfit for most of the campaign. While United showing their financial strength in the transfer window, completely turned the tables on Brendan and his team. Demolishing them 3-0, again with some help from De Gea. Louis van Gaal and his big game tactics paid off for United last year, as they ended up doing the double over their fiercest rivals.
Start of this season has been near identical for both teams. Liverpool and Manchester United started the day on same points, only separated by goal difference. United lost away to Swansea, again last time out, as Liverpool imploded at home against West Ham. While United have looked good in defence and midfield, their goal-threat has been missing. Liverpool on the other hand have been abysmal all over the park. This was supposed to be the biggest game in England, one of the biggest in the world. Saturday night, Manchester United vs Liverpool did get the highest rating a football match has gotten in recent times. 5 times the amount of the Champions league final, in fact.
Liverpool rolled into town without their captain and their best player in Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho respectively. United also were without their captain, Wayne Rooney. Fresh off of breaking the all-time goal record for England, the United captain had a little hamstring issue and was ruled out for this one. Incidentally he would have been the only starter that was a local boy in either side, as neither side had any local players on the pitch. Although, Jordan Rossiter did sit on the bench for Liverpool. Liverpool started with a 4-5-1 formation, which to everyone’s bemusement sent Danny Ings to the left wing and Roberto Firmino to the right wing. Manchester United went with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Marouane Fellaini up top, which again, surprised many. Van Gaal left his newly purchased £36m striker Anthony Martial on the bench. De Gea also returned for Manchester United after a failed Real Madrid move on deadline day. While United had the best of the first half, Liverpool really did their best to try and concede. Giving away possession far too easily. Bastian Schweinsteiger dominated the game, as you would expect from him. But again, United found scoring difficult. They made the chances but couldn’t either shoot or pass in that final moment. The first 45 minutes failed to bring any excitement into both sets of supporters like any United Liverpool game should do.
They say football is a game of two halves, well we certainly got to know why that was. Manchester United brought on Ashley Young for Memphis Depay in the second half and last season’s man of rejuvenation did his trick. Immediately he drew a foul from Nathaniel Clyne on the right side of their d-box and from the resulting free-kick, Daley Blind scored. 1-0 United. Liverpool having conceded tried to play a little bit more now, didn’t sit back as much as they did in the first half. Ings got close, a fine De Gea save stopped him. Blind then cleared off the line. On the 68th minute, on came Martial for the ineffective Juan Mata who had to wait around 6 minutes to get his first touch on the ball. On the 76th minute, Michael Carrick, as he does always, played in Ander Herrera on goal with a delightful looking pass. Joe Gomez, the young Liverpool left back in a moment of uncertainty, brought Herrera down in the box for a stonewall penalty. The Spaniard did the routine work, making it 2-0 for United.
Match looked dead and buried as Liverpool didn’t really threaten till the 84th minute. Jordon Ibe with a rasping shot, saved well for De Gea coming close to getting one back. From the resulting corner though, Christian Benteke scored probably the goal of the season. A beautiful overhead kick, into the roof of De Gea’s goal. Game on! What happened a minute after that goal was scored though, is just stuff of dreams at the Theatre of Dreams. Schweinsteiger played a lovely ball to Young, who toe poked it forwards towards Martial. The young Frenchman picked up the ball from the left, cut beyond Clyne, one on one with Martin Skrtel, pushed him into the box with running straight at him. Emre Can had tracked back and was behind Martial as Martial with great skill just rounded Skrtel as if he wasn’t even there. One on one with the keeper from a tight angle, he slots it into the far corner, 22 minutes after coming on. 3-1 United, game over.
After that game, Van Gaal who might have been in some pressure has had a lot of it lifted off. While his Liverpool counterpart, Brendan will be under immense pressure now, losing 2 in a row is bad. Losing to your main rival, well that always hurts the fans.
And then, what a day for Martial, the best way to introduce yourself in the Theatre Of Dreams, scoring a goal in front of the Stretford End against their biggest rivals. A happy week for Man Utd fans indeed.
** The writer is a dedicated Manchester United fan and an official member of the Manchester United Supporters Club Bangladesh.